The adventures, stories, and inspirations of Sister Jaynanne Petersen while serving an LDS mission to Vancouver, Canada, as recorded by her mom...

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

...and that's how we do it in Brookswood

Hey so sorry that I didn't email yesterday! Dang Canada and their random Holidays! yesterday was Victoria Day apparently.

BUT I HAVE SUCH FABULOUS NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me & Beautiful Sis Karen :)

so it's no big deal or anything, but Karen, our investigator, got baptized on Sunday. WHATTTTT!?!?!!!???? yeah yeah yeah. Let me explain. So all week last week, I kept getting this feeling that Karen needed to be baptized before the 25th, but I didn't know if it was just me or if that was what needed to be done. So we have a lesson with her on Thursday right? and she informed us that she wanted to move it back a week to June 1st because work was just so stressful since she is going to be on brand new baby leave. AHH. We were so shocked we didn't even know what to say or how to respond. We kinda were just like uhhhhhh ok......... tots awk. So, then We come home after the lesson and we were totally unsettled. Like she was ready to be baptized the day we met her!!! so we talked about it for over an hour and then I just prayed. Boy did I pray. I prayed and prayed. We all felt that she needed to get baptized this last weekend or the adversary would totally get the best of her, or her baby would come and it would be postponed even longer. So, after much consideration and making sure it was OK with the Lord, we called our Mission President but he couldn't talk until Friday morning... so it was the most anxious night of my life! He called us back Friday morning and we told him what was going on. He was just like, Have no fear I am here! ha, I mean more spiritually, but ya get the point! So he suggested we just do it right after church and that he would come himself and baptize her. We were like ahhhhhhh!!!!! We were going to do it Saturday, but she was out of town. So, next we needed to tell Karen and see what she thought about it! Of course she was SO HAPPY and thought it was an amazing idea! So, we made a few calls and let me just say that the Brookswood ward is amazing.Sister Ozorio, the RS pres, had people bring refreshments and she gave a talk and it was perfect. So many people showed up to support Karen and it was great. We only met Karen three weeks ago. Who would have thought? So, we got the programs all put together and Saturday we drove around to different chapels trying to find a dress that would be big enough because she is 8 and a half months pregnant. We ended up going to Maple Ridge and they had one, so that was good! We had already taught her everything except a couple commandments, so we just taught them in our GP class and then during RS, President Tilleman interviewed her, and then Karen was baptized. It was so spiritual and so powerful! She just cried during the entire service and I just kept my arm around her the whole time. I didn't cry though... I was just too happy! I couldn't Cry! The Bishop went down to Seattle earlier in the week, which is like two hours away, and he got her a set of scriptures with her name printed on it for us to give her. After the baptism, when we gave it to her, she just broke down. She said it was the best gift she has ever been given in her whole life. (I was like you just wait till next week when you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost!) it was funny cuz during sacrament she leans over pointing at my scriptures and was like, "I want one of those! where do you get them?" ha i was just like I think you can order them online.. haha sneaky sneaky. Anywho, it was a crazy couple of days and I am so insanely happy for her! She is so beautiful and she was so prepared to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I was the first sister out of eleven who came out in my transfer to baptize someone so that was pretty cool. My comps think so anyway.. but really i feel like nothing. I feel like I'm just the dust of the earth. It really was the spirit who did all the work. Like the Lord did it all! I could never take credit.

Sis Byam, Me, Karen, & Sis Duffy

Can you believe that yesterday was my three month mark???? so weird. I am sending Tara and Trevor a letter today.. I just gotta find a mail box. Next Monday night we get transfer calls and then transfers are Thursday so we will see what happens. Oh so I never got a raincoat and it rains here so it doesn't really work out to well! ha luckily Sister Duffy just gave me one like an hour ago. It is big and the sleeves are short but it's all good! it works right? so if I ever asked for one, scratch that. I would of bought it myself, but there is never time. I hope the race and wedding and all that went well! I'm gonna hurry and print off your emails and I'm sure you told me all about it! I'm excited.

AHhh. Well I love you all so much. I am so grateful to have been raised in the Gospel. Sorry if my last emails sounded judgmental of other sisters. I didn't mean it that way. It's just interesting. You can see a difference. The age change forever affected the way mission life is. I just want to get out there and find people to teach and baptize! People out here say that it's prideful to think you can achieve a lot and that you really need to humble yourself and not set your goals high or you will suffer and have trials to learn that you are not the one in charge.. i get that, but the way I see it is God wants us to have Success. We are on his watch and he doesn't want us wasting time trying to find ourselves. We are his instruments and tools. You best believe I am going to dream big. We have to have faith. I MEAN HELLO!??!? WE HAVE THE LORD ON OUR SIDE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! why wouldn't we have success? especially now. He is gonna bless us for our obedience. ahh i could go off on this forever.

I have to go now, but I love you all so much! HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY SPENCER! for Saturday of course! be strong and of good courage. 1-10-15. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. 5 stars. WORK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you all! LOVE ME! SISTER JAYNANNE PETERSEN!